Over a half the students attending California State University Dominquez Hill come from diverse minority groups. Through support from the MBRS program, CSUDH seeks to develop the biomedical research skills of these students and encourage them to pursue research careers after they graduate. MBRS support will also help this institution to further develop its research potential, already greatly enhanced b;y past MBRS participation. The heavy teaching load required of CSUDH faculty is an obstacle to those interested in engaging in research with their students; however, the release time and funds provided by MBRS will assist these faculty and their students in developing their biomedical research capabilities and place them into the mainstream of their respective fields. Due to past MBRS support, some of our faculty have become active researchers and successfully competed for grants from other agencies. Our students cannot help but gain from the improved research environment developed at CSUDH and be stimulated and encouraged to continue in the biomedical sciences. Our application for continuation of MBRS support involves faculty members in both the Biology and Chemistry Departments. The projects will involve graduate and undergraduate minority students in the following research areas: (a) Phylogenetics of moccasins (pit vipers): A tool for improving antivenin specificity. (b) Effect of ethambutol and clofazimine on mycobacteria, (c) Repetitive DNA sequence involvement in genomic rearrangements, (d) Retinoid and protein metabolism in ocular tissues, (e) Analysis, comparison, and alignment of protein sequences. Support for these projects will further enhance the research environment at CSUDH and provide MBRS students with opportunities to participate in sophisticated research programs. We will continue to strive to increase the numbers of minority researchers in the biomedical sciences.